Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States; it has been held every year since except from 1942 through 1944. Its signature giant helium balloons date to 1928, with smaller air-filled balloons having been used in 1927. The three-hour parade is held in Manhattan, ending outside Macy's Herald Square, and takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953.
A giant Ronald McDonald balloon at the 2022 parade
Hamlet The Balloon School Pig being inflated by the Steven's Inflation Crew during training at Giants Stadium
Santa Claus' arrival at the parade's finale marks the start of the Christmas season
Tom the Turkey and Underdog arriving at Macy's Herald Square during the 1979 edition of the parade.
Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It has been a sister brand to the Bloomingdale's department store chain since being acquired by holding company Federated Department Stores in 1994, which renamed itself Macy's, Inc. in 2007. It is the largest department store company by retail sales in the United States as of 2015.
Macy's Herald Square, the flagship store on Herald Square in Manhattan, in 2018
Macy's in Herald Square in 1907
Entrance detail
The Macy's West flagship store in San Francisco, the former O'Connor, Moffat & Co. flagship (closing in 2025)